Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1885-1890, 1887-01-29

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that railroads have sought us out for our
carrying trade and our passenger traffic.
In all these years we have imported all
manufactured articles we have used, x
cept lumber and brick for building pur-
poses. We have not made a pound of iron,
although coal and iron are native here and
can be produced in vastly greater quaint
ties than in Pennsylvania. For the mum
Der of our people we have used more ma
chinery made of iron, as quartz mills,
hosting works, saw and grist mills, boil
ers and engines, agricultural machinery,
printing presses, etc, ETC., b any other
people in America. We have imported
all our clothing, blankets, carpets and
wooden goods, to the value of several mil
lions of dollars annually, and have not
manufactured a single yard, and made but
a few garments, although we exported
5000, 900 pounds of wool last year. Every
man, woman and child wears out, on an
average, two pairs of boots or shoes in a
year, but we have not a single boot n
shoe factory in the territory, to make
them for our hundred thousand people.
We drove out last year $4,000 head of
| cattle and 10000 head Of sheep. and they
| carried their hides and pelts with them.
Besides this, we exported hides and pelts
to nearly an equal amount, in addition to
100000 buffalo hides, 10000 buffalo robes,
and a vast number of elk, deer, wolf, bear
and beaver skins. Yet we did not tan a
pound of leather for making into the boots,
shoes, gloves and harness we use, although
we have forests of fir that would furnish
tan bark for all the world.
Our people are a clearly folk, and inn
port vast quantities of soap, while little or
no use is made of the tallow of our beef
cattle or sheep. 1t should be utilized.
Horns and hoofs are almost a total waste,
while we import every pound of glue and
every comb we use.
West of the Rocky mountain range, in
Missoula county, are vast forests of the
finest white cedar and pine in the world.
Yet we import every bucket and tub and
churn used by all our people. Neither is
a match made here, although we have the
finest grained pine to make them Of that
can be found. No furniture except of the
cheapest kind is made here. All is i'm
ported.
We also import every pound of printing,
writing and wall paper we use, and all
envelopes and stationery. Never has a
pound of cotton or linen been saved by our
people for the paper maker, but all has
been burned when worn cut. Not a
pound of straw has been made into wall
or wrapping paper, although our grain
fields produce enough straw to ten times
supply the demand for the purpose. We
exported 5000 tons of copper matte and
over 1000 tons of lead bullion last year,
and did not manufacture one pound Of
them into any thing. We have only named
a part of the articles that we import and
might manufacture; and we have clearly
shown that Montana produces the raw ma
terial for the manufacture of every pound
of iron, copper and lead needed by us;
also for every yard Of wooden goods, I'M
derclothes, carpets and blankets we con-
sumo; also the hides and skins for our
boots, shoes, harness, gloves, ETC., also the
tallow for the manufacture of soaps and
candles; also the horns and hoofs for glue
and combs; also the timber for our tubs
and buckets and wooden ware; also for
the material for paper, in all its varieties.
Then, when we know that we have in
exhaustible coal fields, to use in making
steam, and water power on every stream
sufficient to turn the machinery of the
whole country, we ask if with the raw
material in abundance, and the power to
run the machinsry,is it not time we started
manufactures, at least to supply our own
wants, and not to send our millions abroad
to pay a profit to eastern manufacturers,
to keep in employment the thousands who
work for them, while we might have them
come and work here in our factories, and
spend what they earn among us. If this
could be done we would save vast amounts
we waste in paying frieghts or our i'm
ports and exports. Why cannot our CAPT
talists see this and invest some of their
surplus in manufactures in Montana"